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BURGHLEY ROAD
Year: 2003 The property, a 2-storey detached house which had limited loft accommodation and a modest extension to the rear, is situated in the leafy London suburb of Wimbledon and benefits from a large garden at the back. The building was in need of refurbishment and modernization throughout, but an earlier proposal by a local practice did not live up to the Client’s expectations, who turned to the RIBA for the selection of another designer.Belsize Architects were selected on the strength of their imaginative, contemporary interiors. The brief called for further extension to the ground floor to create a new living/dining area and open plan kitchen overlooking the garden, a complete redesign of the loft to accommodate two additional bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large studio, and a general upgrading of the interiors. The locally listed property made the Planners at Merton Council rather sensitive to the design approach taken. The proposal, with a markedly modern identity in contrast with the existing building, met successfully the stringent criteria of the Conservation Area policies. The Client’s wish to have new contemporary living spaces in this scheme and Belsize Architects’ ideas of modern design converged, after a stimulating learning process, to produce a result which was both challenging for the practice and satisfying for the Client. The rear extension represents the highlight of the intervention and through the use of glass, transparency and water succeeded in linking the garden into the composition, both visually and from a functional point of view. Natural light was a real concern to the Client who studied the sun path and contributed in defining the glazed areas to obtain the desired light quality at different times of the day. A new blonde oak staircase, connecting the first floor with the remodelled loft space, has been designed under a large new rooflight allowing light to filter down into the building   |